Huber Breaker down to rubble

Andrew Krech / The Citizens' Voice
Onlookers watch as demolition continues on the former Huber Breaker in Ashley on Thursday.

The Huber Breaker at Ashley fell to the cutters' torches Thursday, ending an era that continues to identify Northeastern Pennsylvania as the coal region.

Heavy cables were used to bring down the historic structure. Only the removal of tons of steel remains to clear the land that once hummed to the sounds of mining and railroad operations.

"Our hearts are heavy," said Ray Clarke, chairman of the board of the Huber Breaker Preservation Society.

Clarke was among some 40 people who rushed to the miners' memorial park overlooking the breaker site as word spread that the breaker was down.

Paselo Logistics, LLC, of Philadelphia, which took possession of the breaker late last year, gave no notice that the breaker was in its final hours. A workman said Wednesday that the breaker might come down Friday or Saturday but the spray of sparks from acetylene torches Thursday afternoon hinted at a quicker end to a building in which thousands of men toiled over decades.

The end came at 3:30 p.m.

Chris Murley of Abandoned Mine Research, Inc., an organization of mining historians, and John Welsh, who has videotaped demolition for a future documentary, had hoped to capture the demise of the breaker. Both were in Ashley on Wednesday but neither was at the site Thursday.

Paselo workmen had previously razed the southern section of the breaker after first demolishing a foot house, large coal conveyor and the rotary dump building. Other small buildings on the 26-acre property and railroad tracks also were reclaimed.

People have used the memorial park as a vantage point to watch the demolition since January. A powerhouse, smokestack, three silos and a water tower remain. Two of the silos contain coal that was stored for use in the powerhouse, Clarke said.

The Huber Breaker Preservation Society waged an unsuccessful 22-year campaign to save the breaker. The society tried to get Al Roman, owner of No. 1 Contracting Co., the breaker's former owner, to donate all or part of the site but he declined. Then, Roman went into bankruptcy and lost the property. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court okayed sale to Paselo. Attorney Jonathan Comitz, counsel for Paselo, said the final figure was about $1.3 million, covering the property, closing costs and taxes.

Paselo Logistics LLC of Philadelphia was the lone bidder. Owner Angelo Paselo, who was at the site this week.

Paselo is using the former No. 1 Contracting offices in Ashley, at the Huber site.

The breaker was considered the most important artifact to the region's coal mining history. The Huber Breaker Preservation Society had public support but little political backing as it sought to save the breaker. The goal was creation of a living museum in which future generations could capture the entirety of the coal-mining experience.

"We hoped to maintain the breaker as a symbol of our region's common heritage," Clarke said.

The preservation society, which has not changed its name, continues to develop the Miners' Memorial Park on 3.1 acres in front of the breaker, on South Main Street, Ashley. Earth Conservancy donated the land. The memorial to anthracite miners of Northeastern Pennsylvania was dedicated last May and improvements to the park will include a walking trail and kiosks explaining facets of mining history.

Clarke said if fundraising plans are successful, a small museum and movie theatre might be built and the original plan for a coal company-style house might still be possible.

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